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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazdaspeed3 vs. VW V GTI vs. Civic Si
1379 messages, Last post on Oct 01, 2009 at 10:54 AM
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Replying to: eldaino (Aug 17, 2007 7:13 am) To each his own. You guys can trust people with an agenda - an agenda to avoid expressing an honest opinion. Did you ever read my review of the Mini I bought ( http://bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216664 )? I tore it apart for its myriad of failings; seriously ripped it down for many of the car's poor interior design elements, it's wrong wheel drive layout and its soft suspension. Car criticism does not equal 90% effusive, prostrated praise with 10% equating to "I wish this were somewhat, sorta different." No car is that perfect. And a car review shouldn't sell a car, it should expose the cars warts, just a restaurant review or a movie review should shine a light on what doesn't work. BTW, I passed on the GTI for many reasons: 1. The car wasn't as much fun as a Cooper S 2. I figured whatever I got I'd replace in 09/10 when my fiancee has a kid. 3. *My fiancee has an A3 and thus we already have a Mrk V VW in our garage. I'm not going to own two of the same car. Variety is the spice of life. 4. I'd rather buy a used 4 door GTI and let some other poor sucker suffer the 25-30% first year depreciation hit (unlike the cooper which probably won't see that hit for 3 years). 5. Fuel economy - compared to the Cooper S, the GTI's mileage isn't that great. 6. Size and weight - I wanted something small and fun for once, not another huge car. *Our ownership of an A3 is the most important part of my decision to bypass the GTI. It's because of that car I'll look at a 335i sedan, a 328i wagon, 135i (if a sedan/hatch ever shows up), WRX wagon, Mazda6. The GTI is rumored to be getting some bumps for 08 (more power, other changes). We'll see by 2010 how things are shaping up with the Mrk VI GTI.
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Aug 17, 2007 8:39 am) I know understand your reasons for bypassing the gti, i had forgotten your finace had an a3. i do expect the gti mkVi to be out sooner than 2010 though, at least by a year, i think 08 is the last year for all mkV's. i'd bypass a 135i though, ther is no backseat room, literally. at least not for anyone bigger than 5 feet. and for the price it will probably be, i'd rather have an r32, which seats people comfortably. now the 3 series wagon would be FANTASTIC. |
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Replying to: eldaino (Aug 17, 2007 11:50 am) I will probably buy a 135i if it comes as a sedan or hatch by 09/10. I don't care about the space, so much as the ability to get into the back. As long as it's as big in the back as a BMW e30/Mazda Protege, it's big enough for my needs. The reality though - BMW probably won't release a 135i sedan or hatch here. Bummer. That cuts the field to the 335i sedan (alas no wagon), the underpowered 328 wagon and the WRX. Let's hope the Mrk VI gets to US shores soon. I don't expect it though as the Mrk V took forever to get here and it's only been on sale for a couple model years. I expect 2011 it will be replaced at the earliest. Sorry about the Civic interior but I've driven one frequently for 12-14 months - mother-in-law had an 06 Civic Hybrid (she lemoned it). I found the interior to feel exceedingly cheap and all around to be poorly designed and assembled. The side door panels feel like felt-lined cardboard. The controls all feel flimsy. The lighting's bad. And that two-tier design leaves me feeling like someone made a mistake and added the top pod later to make up for missing the speedo originally. It's not at the level of the Mazda or VW, in my experience.
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Aug 17, 2007 12:08 pm) maybe in 2011 when the new r36 comes out, maybe they'll make a 4 door version. |
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Aug 17, 2007 12:08 pm) If you want 6-cyl AWD, then place the engine mostly behind the front axle & start out w/ a RWD platform such as the G35 or the BMW 3-series. But factory sport package might not be available. If you like the heavy-weight new BMW 3-series, then be my guess & take the R32, which has a more substantial deliberate stable but less lively feeling than the FWD 4-cyl GTI & thus is even more distant to the light-weight Mini Cooper. The expensive R32 is really just a car w/ an invincible fool-proof handling good enough for unskillful drivers living in the snow belt, but not much fun. To me, the Mazdaspeed3 is already too hard edged, let alone the lunatic-handling Mini Cooper. I'd rather drive a softer-edge (but still light weight) car w/ 16" rims & do drifts more often.
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Aug 16, 2007 10:46 pm) 
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Replying to: creakid1 (Aug 17, 2007 9:07 pm) Really, what it comes down to for me - VW is screwing over buyers by only offering AWD with the V6. I'd obviously prefer RWD and a chipped 2.0T but alas that's not even made. The GTI is fun, but the FWD angle will probably keep me from buying. I love my Cooper S but every day at least a few times per drive I'm reminded why I loathe FWD. |
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130i M Sport 6-cyl RWD BMW vs... http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/209950/alfa_brera_v6_v_rivals.html- - W/ the engine output well snubbed "in the first four gears" & "if you didn’t know better, you might think the MPS was four-wheel drive." "On smooth roads the ride is fine, tightly checked by the lowered suspension but with acceptable suppleness, but on lumpier B-roads the nose can start bobbing as it gets out of phase with quick-fire sequences of mild bumps. Attack a choppy corner and the steering’s limited feel isolates you from the mild scrabble that ensues as the inside tyre tugs at the apex, while grip is impressive once the nose has tucked into the turn. It’s a very nose-led experience, the rear refusing to budge even when diving in hard on the brakes. High marks for effectiveness, then, and a middling score for involvement." So, lack of steering-feel fun & lack of oversteer fun, but heck "on the laptop screen: best lap 1:31.3, a new record." http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/209952/mazda_3.html All its rivals "here have transverse engines with end-on gearboxes, which means their front wheels can’t be pushed as far forward and their weight distribution is nose-heavy." Being the only RWD platform here & also having normally aspirated large displacement means "the engine is sensitive to the lightest throttle pressure" & therefore fishtail drift is just around the corner. Subjectively, all the rivals here including the more powerful 4-cyl turbo FWD Mazda3 can't have this kind of fun. But the BMW "remains a flawed car though, the feel of its chassis occasionally vague, its ride confounded by particularly lumpen B-roads." So it still can't trump in both ride & handling the way the Focus can. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/209954/bmw_1series.html Here comes the AWD GTI, or 4-cyl turbo R32 -- the Audi S3. Competent fool-proof handling combines w/ more "boosts from lower revs" than the Mazda engine. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/209953/audi_s3.html I think the Alfa is the only good-looking car here. But w/ "feel-free steering" & still has a "ride that’s firm and busy at a detail level", this not so agile car... http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/209950/alfa_brera_v6_v_rivals.html- -
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Replying to: creakid1 (Aug 30, 2007 9:50 pm)  I swear an AWD 2.0T GTI would be a blast. Some simply tuning...yummy.
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| A year and a few days, and 17,500 trouble free, hi reving miles. This car is a blast, and squeak/rattle free. Most fun car I have ever owned. | |
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